This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

In 2014, Justice Robin Camp asked a woman in a trial why she couldn’t just keep her knees together.

Federal Court Justice Robin Camp, here at his Calgary trial on Tuesday, also questioned the alleged victim’s morals, suggested that her attempts to fight off her attacker were feeble and described her as “the accused” throughout the trial. (Jeff McIntosh / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

By Bill GravelandThe Canadian Press

Tues., Sept. 6, 2016

CALGARY—A woman who was asked whether she could have kept her knees closed by an Alberta judge during a sexual assault trial says she contemplated suicide as a result of her experience.

“He made me hate myself and he made me feel like I should have done something ... that I was some kind of slut,” said the slight young woman, choking back tears at the judicial hearing Tuesday for Justice Robin Camp.

Camp’s comments while he was a provincial judge in Calgary in 2014 led the Alberta Appeal Court to order a new trial for the man he acquitted.

Court transcripts show Camp questioned the woman’s morals, suggested her attempts to fight off the man were feeble and described her as “the accused” throughout the trial.

He said to her: “Why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?” and said “pain and sex sometimes go together.”

Article Continued Below

“He made comments asking me why didn’t I close my legs or my ankles together. ... What did he expect me to say to something like that?” she said softly.

“I hate myself that I let that happen and I let that judge speak to me that way.”

The complainant, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, said after the verdict she just “got high for days” and just wanted to be herself again.

The Canadian Judicial Council committee is considering whether Camp should be removed from the bench because of his remarks in the case.

The committee is made up of three judges, who are council members, and two senior lawyers.

In a letter submitted to the committee in support of her father, Camp’s daughter Lauren revealed that she had been a victim of a sexual assault in her own home a number of years ago.

“Some of the words used by Robin in the case were disgraceful. They were wrong and extremely painful for me, as a victim, to hear about,” wrote Lauren Camp.

“But Robin has tackled his disgrace directly. He has always been a good father, but now he speaks with a new kind of sensitivity and understanding.”

She urged the panel to recommend her father be allowed to remain a judge so he can put his new-found understanding and empathy to good use.

Lawyer Marjorie Hickey, who is presenting evidence on behalf of the judicial council, said the committee will consider the comments that Camp made, as well as the impact they have had on the community.

Camp’s lawyer Frank Addario said his client has taken steps to remedy his behaviour.

“He is not perfect, but he is a good judge,” said Addario.

“The evidence will show Justice Camp, immediately after the complaint was lodged, apologized and took steps to interrogate his beliefs and to challenge his assumptions,” he said.

“The evidence will show that he has reformed in his thinking and is sorry for his failing. His is an ethical and empathetic judge.”

Danielle Aubry, executive director of Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse, told Canadian Press she doesn’t think Camp should remain as a judge even if he regrets his actions.

“When you become a judge, that’s a privilege. It’s a very high position. It’s incredulous to me that there are people who are sitting on the bench that are not educating themselves about issues like sexual violence and domestic violence,” said Aubry.

The review committee will make recommendations to the full judicial council.

If it decides Camp should be removed from the bench, the final decision lies with the federal justice minister.

“The council was created in 1971 . . . and since that time there have been 11 public inquiries, so it’s not a common occurrence,” said Johanna Laporte, the judicial council’s director of communications, said.

“We do receive a number of complaints regarding judicial conduct per year but not all of them . . . go to the public inquiry stage.”

Delivered dailyThe Morning Headlines Newsletter

The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com